Re for the Crown
by Lovendork
Summary: The Kingdom of Italy is going down with the king's death. And with the spoiled Prince Feliciano as the next king, it'll go down even further. With the help of a witch, two knights try to stop the coronation and make the rightful prince, Lovino, the king.
1. Chapter 1

**LuvReinya: **Finishing 'Fa la la la f**k it' inspired me to make another story, so here it is XD There's hints of inspiration from those 'Servant of Evil'/'Malo'/etc. stories in this, but only a few. Just the fact that Feliciano is a prince and Lovino is his servant, that's all really. Everything else is pretty different. The real inspiration for this story is 'Ribbon no Kishi: The musical', it's a beautiful play acted out by Morning Musume and a few other women. Anyway, sorry if the poem at the beginning sucks XD The ones marked with 'Original' are the ones I made up, I came up with them at the top of my head lol. **The poems/songs at the beginning of each section are for the character the section is focusing on.**

**Warning: **There are some OCs in this story to help the plot, they are OC characters from my other story 'Hetalia: Capital City'.

**Disclaimer: **I do not own Hetalia: Axis Powers. No one on this website does XD

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><p>"<em>All that I've struggled for,<em>

_All that I toiled over._

_For what did I risk my life?_

_What have I been working for?_

_This corrupt world."_

_- Original_

"Hey you, stop!"

Antonio huffed and puffed as he chased after a little boy who had stolen a ham from one of the shop venders on the street, his legs starting to ache already. Where did this kid learn to run so fast that he could outrun one of the best knights in the Kingdom of Italy? Granted, Antonio wasn't really the best knight in the kingdom. And, he wasn't the best runner either. But still, he at least thought he could outrun a kid!

"_Parada!_" He shouted, reaching his hand out. He nearly grabbed the kid's worn out-looking jacket, but the kid turned a corner just in time to avoid being caught by the Spanish knight. Antonio cursed under his breath, wishing that the kid had stolen something simple; like a loaf of bread or a piece of fruit, that way Antonio could just pay the vender off for the bread, but the boy HAD to steal meat.

"I got him!" Just as the kid was about to turn another corner, Antonio's fellow knight Gilbert came from around that very corner and tried to grab the kid. The boy just ducked under Gilbert's arms, making the Prussian knight collide with Antonio.

"Ah!" Antonio fell to the ground, Gilbert crashing down on top of him. Both of the clumsy knights stayed on the ground, trying to regain their wits and rubbing their heads, while the boy got away from their line of sight.

"_Mierda..._" Antonio mumbled, finally getting up and brushing his now dirty armor off. He held out a hand for Gilbert, pulling the other man up also. Sighing, he tried to look around to see where the kid went. "What was that, _amigo_? That's the second thief we lost. If we keep this up, the king will strip us of our authority."

Gilbert picked up a rock and angrily threw it in the air, not caring where it landed and pretended to ignore the, 'Ouch!', that he just heard not too far away. "Let's keep looking then! I'm not letting some little kid get away with making a joke outta me! I'm too awesome for that!"

Frowning, Antonio scratched his head as he looked at his friend and fellow knight. "We can look, but I don't know if we'll find him. I think I'll have to use some of my money to pay that shop vender back, although we didn't make much money this month." He follow Gilbert through the alley the kid went through, his hand on the hilt of his sword cautiously.

"You don't have to do that, _Anton_." Gilbert couldn't help but grin at his friend's words. Other knights would just go on their merry way if a thief ever got away and wouldn't even spare the thought of giving the victim any form of repayment. But Antonio had a code of honor, if he couldn't catch a thief then he'd always repay the victim what was owed.

Antonio stopped when Gilbert held his arm out to halt him silently, seeing the Prussian motion for him to come closer. He follow the man's directions and looked where he was pointing, eyes widening a bit at what he saw. There, in a corner of the dim alley, was the boy. He was sitting with his family, which consisted of what seemed like his mother and his little sister. His mother, a sickly thin woman, was crying in what seemed to be happiness until she started scolding him for stealing food when he should've been earning it. The little boy looked down in shame, the ham still in his hands.

Gilbert felt a deep frown tug at his usually grinning lips. "_Anton._" He whispered. "What do you think we should– Huh? Where are you going?" He watched as Antonio walked over to the family calmly, his hand no longer on his sword.

Noticing his presence, the family backed away in fear from the knight. The mother pulled her son and daughter behind herself, pleading with Antonio. "Please, good knight...My son just wanted to do something good for us, he isn't a thief!"

The Spaniard shook his head, smiling gently at the woman. He pulled some money out of his pocket and handed it to the woman. "Ah, don't worry~! I just wanted to give this to you. Your son did commit a crime, but if he only did it to take care of his family, I'll let him go this time."

The woman looked at the money in caution first, but took the money with a shakey hand. "_Grazie._" The woman thanked him with tears in her eyes, her son and daughter gawking at him behind her. "This must be a blessing from the Lord, any other knight would've taken him away...Thank you, for not arresting my son."

Antonio nodded. "Fusososo~ It's alright, I'll pay that vender back for the ham myself! I think you need it more than he does. And you..." He looked over at the trembling boy, putting on a stern but gentle look. "I don't want you stealing anymore, alright? There aren't a lot of jobs out there right now because of the economy, I know, but there are people out there willing to pay you in food or old clothes for labor. Just ask around. But, next time you steal, I won't be so nice. Okay?"

The little boy nodded, looking down at the ground. "_Sì_...I understand."

"Good." Antonio smiled again, turning to leave the small family to eat, and returned to Gilbert. The Prussian was staring at him with surprised red eyes, his mouth slightly open.

"_Anton_, man, how much money did you give them?" He and Antonio left the alley, walking through the village to the palace. "You know you have to eat too, right? Once you pay off the vender for the ham, you won't have enough to buy anything for yourself!"

"Ah~ But that's what friends are for!" Antonio laughed, gazing up at the sky to watch the clouds. "I can just go to Francis' bakery and get something to eat there, he'll give me a good price."

"Eh, I guess so. But, you should still be more careful with your money." Gilbert sighed, looking around at the village. They weren't the only ones struggling with money problems, the whole village was doing badly. Jobs were diminishing, taxes were raising, and people didn't have enough money to buy anything. "I thought things couldn't get any worse after things turned bad when King Luciano took the throne from Old Romulus, but even on his deathbed he seems to be making things worse. I hear he's not going to make it pass the month."

Antonio's eyes shot away from the sky to Gilbert. "Then that means..."

Gilbert nodded, a grim look on his face. "Prince Feliciano will be taking the throne soon."

Stopping, Antonio looked at the ground in growing anger. "But, Prince Feliciano shouldn't be the new king, it's not right!" He shook his head violently. "I think Feli's alright and all, but Lovino deserves the crown more than he does. He's the eldest, so he should be next in line!"

Gilbert watched his friend with sympathetic eyes. It was no secret that Antonio had a firm belief that the abandoned prince, Lovino, should be the new king. Lovino was disowned by his father after his and Prince Feliciano's mother died 10 years ago. The king had always had a grudge against his oldest son ever since the boy was born. The late queen, Queen Paola, had loved Lovino more than anyone else in the world. Even her own husband. And even when Feliciano was born, she still held Lovino on a pedestal above everyone else. But, she wasn't the only one with great love for Lovino. The late king before King Luciano, King Romulus, was very fond of his grandson and would have Lovino accompany him everywhere if the boy wasn't already with his mother. It was only natural to believe that King Luciano was jealous of his own son. After both Queen Paola and Old King Romulus died, King Luciano took that opportunity to take revenge on Lovino for taking his wife and father away from him. He disowned Lovino the day his wife died, claiming that Lovino wasn't his own and that Queen Paola was unfaithful. That accusation slandered both his wife's name and Lovino's, marking the king as a selfish and disgusting man in the eyes of Antonio.

"I know it's not fair but that's how things are, man." Gilbert patted Antonio on the back and they continued walking through the streets. "Come on, let's get something to eat."

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><p>"<em>Don't cry, the person who doesn't cry will live on strongly.<em>

_An endless canvas called the sky exists._

_My dear boy, you release everything._

_Decide it with your image."_

_- Modified version of 'Roman~ My dear boy' by Morning Musume_

Lovino plopped down on Feliciano's newly made bed, looking around his brother's rather large room and suddenly dreaded the thought of having to sweep the floor next. Why couldn't they get someone who actually _liked _cleaning to clean this room? He should've been used to it by now, having been Feliciano's personal servant for 10 years nows, but when you hate cleaning you _don't_ get over it. "Damn room...I'd sooner want to eat a bowl of those nasty potatoes than clean you." Lovino mumbled, more to himself than anyone – or anything – else.

He stood up from the bed quickly once he heard the door opening, looking to see who was coming in. It was only Feliciano, but the younger brother had hot tears running down his face with a saddened look to go with it. "Feli, what's wrong?" Lovino asked, walking over to the prince curiously.

"It's _papà_...He's gone. He didn't even last until the end of the month like the doctor said..." His brother responded, his head hanging in grief.

"Oh...I'm sorry, Feli." Lovino forced himself to take on a sorrowful tone, when in truth he didn't feel anything for the passing of their father. The man had Lovino like he didn't exist for years, so it Lovino never acknowledged him either. He couldn't even remember his father being nice to him when he was a child.

Felicano sniffled softly, wiping his teary eyes with his hands. "His funeral will be tomorrow." He looked up at Lovino. The elder brother took notice that the boy didn't look nearly as sad as when he first came in. "Write the eulogy for me and give it to me by tonight. I have to talk to the Prime Minister about my coronation, I'll be back after a while."

With that, Feliciano left his brother to carry out one of the hardest duties that he ever gave him. Lovino couldn't write a eulogy about a man that he never really knew, a man that he grew to hate. He'd rather kiss Feliciano's body guard, Ludwig's, ass. And that said a lot. But, he couldn't say that he didn't see it coming. Feliciano often sprang some – if not most – of his own duties onto Lovino when he found them too boring or too hard to do. Writing their father's eulogy would be too hard for his little brother to do, but it was not because he was in too much grief over the old man. It was because he simply didn't care.

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><p>"<em>I didn't want to become a prince.<em>

_I didn't want to become a prime minister._

_I didn't want to become a king._

_I didn't want to be a boy._

_So, I became a witch."_

_- Original (inspired by 'Ribbon no Kishi')_

Patrolling the forest one day, Antonio and Gilbert walked together along the dirt path riddled with falling leaves from the trees. The leaves crunched underneath their feet as they got further into the forest, the sky getting dark as a signal that nighttime was approaching. Neither man took notice, too naïve and too into their own conversation.

"Hey, _Anton._" Gilbert smirked. "You've been living in the kingdom for almost all your life, haven't you? Have you ever heard the legend of _Percorso Streghe _Forest?"

Antonio gave him a puzzled look, tilting his head. "Um...Per-what-Forest?"

"_Percorso Streghe _Forest. Witches' Path Forest. Ever since I came here from the Kingdom of Prussia when I was 9, all I had ever heard was the legend of the two witches; Good Witch Revinue and Bad Witch Haceté. It's said that this is the forest they grew up in, and the forest they still live in."

Gulping, Antonio nervously looked around for any sign of witches, He subconsciously started walking closer to his friend. "Ah, t-there's no chance that they'll show up tonight. Is there...?"

"Heh. I don't know, man. It's almost nighttime, that's about the time Haceté usually shows up to make unsuspecting men her slaves."

"What?" Antonio started pulling Gilbert in a different direction, now determined to get out of that forest. "I don't like that at all, _amigo_. I just want to get out here and go back to the palace. We have to help get things ready for the coronation anyway, remember?"

Gilbert laughed at Antonio's change of heart, clutching his stomach with his free hand. "Oh, so now you're all for Feliciano's coronation?"

"No!" Antonio frowned, looking back at the Prussian. "I still want nothing more than Lovino being the new king, but you're starting to scare me with your story!"

Gilbert stopped walking, making Antonio stop also and look back at him in question. "Then, let's stay out as late as we want and show that stiff Austrian Prime Minister and Princey that we don't care about his coronation!"

"Okay...But, do we have to stay in this forest?" Antonio pouted.

Rolling his eyes, Gilbert caved in to the Spaniard. "Okay, okay...We can leave the forest, it is getting creepy." He eyed the fog that was starting to accumulate warily, walking back the way they came with Antonio close behind him.

After a while of walking, the knights came to a decent looking clearing in the forest that gave off a better aura. Less sinister than the part of the forest they came from. Antonio, being naïve as he was, assumed that this was probably Good Witch Revinue's side of the forest.

"Let's rest here for a minute, we've been walking for over an hour out here." Gilbert told Antonio, sitting down on a large stone on the ground. Antonio nodded and leaned on the tree beside him, looking up at the moon. A long silence followed, each man deep within their own thoughts, with just the sound of the wind lightly rustling the leaves around them. "_Anton_?"

Antonio turned his head to his friend, looking down at him. "_Sí_?"

Gilbert paused before continuing. "When your father was a knight for old man Romulus, you used to be friends with both Feliciano and Lovino, right? When you all were kids?" Antonio nodded at the question. "Then, we are you so against him becoming king? I know my reason, he's too young and innocent to know anything about handling this kingdom. But, I never fully understood yours. I know you want Lovino to have the crown, but Lovino hasn't even done anything to get it. He let his father disown him, he let Feliciano make him his servant, and he shows complete obedience to his little brother. Does he even want to be king himself?"

Antonio thought about Gilbert's question carefully, crossing his arms. "Well, growing up with the two of them, I've learned a lot of things about them. I really do love them both, you know how much I love Lovino."

"The whole world knows how much you love Lovino, _Anton._" Gilbert interrupted.

The Spanish knight gave a small smile, continuing. "Feli is like a little brother to me...but, he has this side to him that he must've gotten from King Luciano." He noticed the confused face the Prussian made and chuckled. "He can become so cold and uncaring sometimes, it's as if as long as he gets his way he doesn't care what happens to anyone else. That's why he made Lovino his servant instead of defying the king and saving his brother's good name. It wouldn't befit him at all if he ever announced that Lovino was his older brother, the people would either accuse him of lying or strip him of his title as the next king." Antonio uncrossed his arms and clenched his fists tightly. "I thought once the king was finally on his deathbed, that Feli would come forward with the truth. But, it seems that he wants the crown for himself. I don't want a dishonest man as the king of where I reside."

"And Lovino?" Gilbert asked.

"Lovino never really admitted that he wanted to be king, but he complains about how things are now and tells me what the king could do to better the kingdom. He may seem mean and cold himself sometimes, but it's different with him than with Feliciano. With Lovino, I know that he means well inside. He'd try his best to make this kingdom as good as it was when Romulus was king."

Sighing, Gilbert let Antonio's words sink in. He had always thought Feliciano was too childish to become the new king, but it seemed as if he was wrong for the job for a lot of other reasons. Ludiwg never got into details with him about the prince's personal life, so that was an enigma to him. Who knew what Feliciano did behind closed doors... "How do we stop him from getting the crown then?" He finally asked.

At that, Antonio was at a loss for words. They were only mere knights, and they weren't even the best knights. They were no _Signore_ Alfred, the loudmouth knight from the Kingdom of the Americas, or _Signore _Ivan, the very much feared and confusing knight from the Kingdom of Russia. They couldn't do much to oppose Feliciano's coronation. "I don't know..." Antonio told him. "But, I'd sell my soul to make this kingdom thrive again."

A loud clap of thunder and lightening made the knights jump in alarm, the erie fog that Gilbert had seen before was forming behind the trees. The sky turned from a dark blue to a dark purple, and the air turning heavy and wet as if there were a swamp nearby. The thunder and lightening did not stop, coming down on the trees around them. The knights drew their swords, looking around for the unseen enemy, even though they were both scared out of their minds. A shadow of a woman flashed against the trees, a voice echoing throughout the forest.

"Allow me to grant your wish!"

Antonio and Gilbert looked to where the voice came from, seeing a great amount of fog coming from the trees in front of them. A figure came out of the fog, dressed in a pitch black dress and a dark veil covering her face. Despite the veil, it wasn't dark enough that they couldn't see her facial features. The only thing light on her was her blonde hair, and even that was a dirty shade of blonde. She looked young, about 19 or 20 years old. Her eyes were brown and dark, slightly sinister and plotting.

"W-Who are you?" Gilbert demanded, holding his sword in defense.

The wicked woman laughed, the sound echoing through the forest just as much as her words. "You don't know, my good man? You were talking about me just a bit ago."

Antonio scowled at her accent; she sounded like the blonde haired man named Arthur from the Kingdom of England, who worked in the palace as Prince Feliciano's tutor.

"What are you talking about? Who the hell are you?" Gilbert couldn't think straight at the moment, trying to stay brave when in all honesty the young woman was creeping him the hell out. "You c-can't be..."

Chuckling, the mysterious woman decided to answer his question. "I am a witch, of course. Don't you remember the legends, lad? The witches of this forest, Good Witch Revinue and Bad Witch Haceté. Now guess, which one am I?"

The color drained from Antonio's face as he gaped at the witch. Was this woman the bad witch...

"Haceté..." Gilbert couldn't believe his eyes. "The legends were real after all...Awesome."

"I don't think there's any need for those weapons, is there?" Haceté continued, beginning to walk over to them. "I am unable to kill humans with my magic, so you don't need to fear me. I said I would grant your wish, wouldn't I?"

Looking at each other, the two knights passed a silent message. Wondering if they should trust such a witch. Antonio spoke up. "You would help us make Lovino the new king of Italy?"

The witch nodded, stopping in her tracks once she was only a few feet away from the men. "That, I would do. But for a price."

Antonio felt his heart speed up in fear as he thought of the various things she could ask for. "What do you want then? My soul?" He asked, frowning when Haceté laughed at his words.

"Who would want your soul? It's too _gentle_ for my liking." Haceté spat out the word 'gentle' with venom. "I want something else. Something I can use to bring down my own enemy."

"Tell me, what is it that you want?"

An evil grin slipped onto Haceté's face, her eyes shining with mischief. "Bring me a dead body."

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><p><strong>LuvReinya: <strong>Let me quick review of the characters:

Gilbert: Prussia – Antonio: Spain – Francis: France – Prince Feliciano: Italy – Lovino: Romano – Ludwig: Germany – King Luciano: OC – Old King Romulus: Ancient Rome – Prime Minister: Austria – _Signore _Alfred: America_ – Signore _Ivan: Russia – Arthur: England – Bad Witch Haceté: London (OC from Capital City) – Good Witch Revinue: Washington (OC from Capital CIty)

The only pairing for this story right now is Spamano, but if you want other pairings you can go ahead and tell me ^^


	2. Chapter 2

**LuvReinya:** One thing you guys will find out from me is that I make a mistakes in my stories D; Please read the last part of chapter 1 again if you read the story **right** when it came out. I made a mistake that I tried to change as fast as I could, because it's a plot changing mistake, so please read it. Or at least the last line, because that's the only thing that changed. And again, sorry if my poems suck ;~;

**PLEASE READ: **Latin names will be given in this chapter:

_Antonio:_ Claudius (actually Augustus, but I didn't want people to think of Rome), _Lovino: _Brencis, _Gilbert:_ Lucilius, _Francis: Galena_, _Feliciano: _Hortensius, _Roderich:_ Narciso, _Alfred:_ Remus,_ Matthew: _Bellona, _Ivan:_ Duchtius, _Arthur:_ Aurelius, _Haceté:_ Fortuna, _Revinue:_ Caledonia

**Note:** Toddlers wouldn't know the difference between a man's name a woman's name yet (at least in this story), that'll be good to know if you want to understand this chapter.

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><p><em><strong>Recap of the 1st chapter:<strong>_

_Looking at each other, the two knights passed a silent message. Wondering if they should trust such a witch. Antonio spoke up. "You would help us make Lovino the new king of Italy?"_

_The witch nodded, stopping in her tracks once she was only a few feet away from the men. "That, I would do. But for a price."_

_Antonio felt his heart speed up in fear as he thought of the various things she could ask for. "What do you want then? My soul?" He asked, frowning when Haceté laughed at his words._

_"Who would want your soul? It's too gentle for my liking." Haceté spat out the word 'gentle' with venom. "I want something else. Something I can use to bring down my own enemy."_

_"Tell me, what is it that you want?"_

_An evil grin slipped onto Haceté's face, her eyes shining with mischief. "Bring me a dead body."_

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><p>"<em>Before the cradle was our bed,<em>

_Long before we laid in our mother's stomach,_

_The sky was our home,_

_In the angels arms we lay._

_Waiting to be called down to earth,_

_In heaven we stayed."_

_- Original_

The sound of tiny footsteps echoed through the halls of the grand castle where twelve children played together. They were tiny children, hair all the same style, clothes only white gowns, but their features were all different. Some had brown hair, some had blonde hair, some with blue eyes, and some with green.

"Ah~ Wouldn't it be nice to finally be born one day?" A green eyed child with tanned brown skin sighed as he looked out of the window at the clouds that surrounded them. The green eyed boy turned to the brown haired child next to him. "Wouldn't it be nice, Brencis?"

"You know we have to wait until God says so, Claudius!" Brencis scolded him, the long curl at the top of his head making Claudius laugh as it wiggled. "So be patient...and stop laughing!" Brencis, now irritated and a little embarrassed by Claudius' laughing, tried to stomp away from the green eyed kid, but was held back.

"Aw, _lo siento_, Brencis! I didn't mean to laugh at you, but your curl is just so cute~! Fusososo~"

"Creepy jerk." Brencis side eyed Claudius, then looked over to the other group of kids playing ball not too far away from them.

"Be careful with the ball!" A dark brown haired kid wearing glasses warned the others, pointing at them warningly. "If you break a window, you'll all get into trouble!"

"What are you gonna do? Tell on us?" A white-haired child grinned, throwing the ball to the kid with the glasses. "Calm down, Narciso! If we break the window, it'll just come back together again. Kesesese~"

Barely catching the ball, Narciso glared at the obnoxious boy. "You know what I mean, Lucilius! Last time you broke a window, the angels gave us all a stern scolding. I don't want to share the punishment for what you did!" Narciso threw the ball back, but it wasn't thrown far enough to reach Lucilius. Instead it rolled on the floor until a foot stopped it.

"_Honhonhon~ _Don't worry you little head, Narciso. I've got the ball, and I'm a pretty good throw, so I won't hit the windows at all!" A long hair, blonde girl laughed. The child picked up the ball and tossed it up playfully before catching it again.

"Just toss it, you wanker!" Another blonde kid, with messy hair, spat impatiently. The kid tapped his foot as they waited for the other blonde to throw it.

"Yeah! Come on, Galena!" A dirty blonde haired child whined, kicking the ground in boredom. "Throw it to Aurelius so we can get a turn!"

"Guys, guys! Look what I found!" A child with hair similar to Brencis' came running up to the other children, struggling to carry a book almost as big as they were. A kid with calm blue eyes followed him, looking a bit unsettled and wary. "Guess what I found!" The Brencis look-a-like continued, making all the children gather around him.

"What is it, dude?" A blue eyed child with glasses looked at the book closely, trying to read the faded Latin writing on the cover.

"Idiot, stop stalling and tell us what it is!" Brencis' eyes rolled, but the child couldn't help but wonder what the other child had found.

"Mm-hm~" A chubby-cheeked child with lavender eyes peeked at the book also, a smile gracing his lips as usual. "Tell us what the book is, Hortensius. _Da_?"

Hortensius smiled mischievously, placing the book on the floor in front of them. "Ve~ Why don't you open it up and see?"

A black haired child furrowed their eyebrows as they looked at the book. "What if it's something we're not supposed to look at?"

"But the only book we're not allowed to read is the Book of Life, Caledonia." Lucilius defended, wanting to read the book Hortensius teased them with.

Silence loomed over the curious children as they debated on reading the book or not. The old book laid there, taunting them. It seemed like the book wanted them to open it also.

"Brencis," Hortensius captured the other child's attention. "Why don't you read it? It's probably a good book about kings and princes or something like that!"

"Huh?" Brencis jerked back, not liking that idea one bit. "Why do I have to read it?"

"Because you're the bravest and best reader of us all, of course!" Hortensius smiled innocently, standing back so the other child could read the book.

Brencis blushed. "Wha-? Really...?" He took a look back at the other children, who in turn looked away as if avoiding the subject all together. "Well...okay." He got on his knees and opened the book, beginning to read.

The children turned back to Brencis, the uncomfortable silence coming back to them. What did they just let Brencis read? Was it even okay for him to read?

"Hortensius..." Claudius walked up to the innocent looking child. "What is that book really? I don't want Brencis to get in trouble or anything..."

Hortensius giggled. "Oh, that? That's the Book of Life!"

The other children gasped and jumped back in fear, all except for Brencis; who was too into trying to read that book.

"You let him read The Book of Life?" The dirty blonde, Fortuna, questioned.

"But, if an unborn reads their own name they'll get in trouble!" The black haired child, Caledonia, warned.

"What's the chance he'll see his name, though? Ve..." Hortensius shook his head. "Knowing Brencis, he'll probably stop and get impatient before he gets to his own name."

"It's still a bad idea, Brencis seems determined to read that book..." A shy looking blonde kid mumbled, getting the attention of everyone.

"...Who's that again?" Galena asked, pointing to the kid.

"That's Bellona, remember?" The blue eyed boy with glasses, Remus, told the others.

"Oh..." The kids realized in union. So there were actually thirteen of them...

"Hortensius," Claudius continued, giving the other kid a hard glare. "Stop Brencis from reading that book, it's too dangerous!"

Hortensius sighed, his fun gone. The other kids had a point. He wanted to have fun, but it wouldn't be too much fun if Brencis got into big trouble because of him. "Fine, you're right..." He turned to walk back to Brencis and the book, but stopped when Brencis looked up at him.

"Hey guys...What book is this? There's someone with the same name as mine in this chapter..." Brencis asked, not realizing the he had just read.

The sky outside grew dark and the large doors of the grand palace opened, making way for the angel who stepped in. The angel, a fully grown adult, walked up to the children and towered above them. His mere presence intimidating them instead of giving them peace like every other angel's did. Fear crept into the children's hearts as the angel gave them a hard look before speaking. "What have you done? Stealing the Book away from whence it came. Are you all aware of how horrible a crime that is?"

The children nodded, fearing what kind of punishment they were going to get. So far, they've only been gently scolded by the angels, but this seemed much more serious.

"Who stole the Book?" The angel asked.

All of the children pointed at Hortensius, save for Brencis who was just realizing exactly what he had read. Hortensius dropped on his knees, begging the angel for forgiveness.

"I just wanted to have fun, I didn't mean to do anything bad! Please, I'm sorry!" The child pleaded.

"Do you understand what you've just done to this child?" The stern angel motioned towards Brencis, who had backed away from the group in shock and betrayal. "The plan for his life on earth has completely changed now, all because he has read his chapter in the book of life. You're a bad child." The angel then shook his head, looking at all of the children and not just Hortensius. "No, you're all bad children. This would have never happened if you would've stopped that child from reading the Book when you found out what it was." He gave them a disappointed look. "Not one child tried to stop him directly, did they?"

The children stayed quiet. They indeed did not try to stop Brencis, to busy arguing amongst themselves.

The angel continued. "You aren't even born yet, but you steal and cheat others. That isn't acceptable."

"D-Does that mean death?" Aurelius choked out, afraid.

"But, we aren't even born yet!" Caledonia cried.

All of the children started crying, not aware that the ceiling above them was slowly deteriorating away to reveal the no longer dark sky. The sun shone down on Brencis, his body starting to glow as he was lifted up to the sky.

"No, it does not mean death." The angel answered simply, watching the nervous child float up in the air. "You have changed the plans for this boy, so we will change the plans for you too. Until Brencis finds happiness, you all will accompany him on his journey. He is being sent to earth, on the way to meet his mother, and so will the rest of you. Because when you are born, you are free of all crimes."

An invisible force brought Hortensius off of his knees and closer to the angel. The angel held his hand out towards him, making the boy glow also. "You will be Brencis' brother, his little brother. You two will share a bond that no man can break. This is a plan that was already decided for you both, but if you had not shown him the Book, you would have been _his_ older brother."

Hortensius' eyes widened, but he nodded at the angel's declaration nonetheless. "Ve, a-alright..."

Next was Galena, being forcefully brought over to the angel with just a motion of the hand. "You, a baker." The angel told her.

"_Un boulanger_?" Galena protested, eyes widening. "On earth, they are usually men..._Non_?"

The angel nodded. "Yes, they are, _Francis_."

Galena, now known as Francis, was transferred up to the sky with the other two children. The other children stared up at the sky in awe. Their gender could be changed?

Claudius, Lucilius, Remus, and Duchtius were brought up next, all being declared as knights by the angel. Narciso, a Prime Minister, Aurelius was declared a tutor, and Bellona was made a prince also.

The time came for Fortuna and Caledonia to be called up, but they both pleaded with the angel. "Please, anything but a boy!" Fortuna clasped her hands together in desperation.

The angel gave a smile, opening his arms graciously. "Witches then?" He offered, even though they had no say in the matter.

"Witches?" Caledonia gasped, exchanging looks with Fortuna as they floated up to the sky also. "Are they even human?"

Once all the children were gone, the angel picked up the Book of Life from the ground, looking at the page Brencis left open. The smile was still intact on his face as he read that page of Brencis' chapter, the boy's story had already changed from when the angel read it last. He had to wonder though, did it change before or after Brencis had read it?

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><p><strong>LuvReinya: <strong>Yes, Francis was a girl in the beginning 8D This is a weird chapter, I know, but things will go back to continuing from the last chapter in the next chapter XD This was just a little insight on how things began for everyone, and why they're lives are all connected. Anyway, I hope you liked this ^^


	3. Chapter 3

**LuvReinya: **Here's the next chapter of my story ^^ I hope you guys like it, it's less weird than the last chapter.

On a side note, there's a boy at my school who reminds me of Antonio/Spain. He has everything except the green eyes XD He's not in my class or anything like that, he majors in another subject and I usually see him waiting by the entrance for someone to pick him up (he broke his leg, so he can't get far by himself). Anyway, just felt like sharing that lol. I HAD to tell other Hetalia fans. Have any of you ever met someone who reminded you of a Hetalia character?

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><p>"<em>The secret you wanted to know,<em>

_The secret they didn't want you to know_

_Every secret will be revealed_

_And the true crown prince will be king!"_

_- Modified version of 'The Witch' by Fujimoto Miki_

Another clap of thunder filled the area at the witches words, but it went unnoticed by the two knights staring in shock at the witch in front of them. They couldn't believe what she had just asked them. Bring her a dead body? How would they go about that? They weren't grave robbers, surely they would go to jail for that!

"D-Dead body...?" Antonio repeated the witch's dreaded words, unable to stop his voice from trembling in anxiety. This woman had to be crazy...Or maybe they were the crazy ones for daring to negotiate with a witch. An evil one at that.

Haceté gave the slightest of nods, grinning like the cheshire cat of the old wives tales. "That's right, lad. I asked you to bring me a dead body, but..." The witch turned her back to them. A motion that would usually signal ignorance, because if they wanted to, they could attack her from behind. But, something told the two knights not to dare move, they didn't know whether it was their code of honor or because they sensed that Haceté was still watching them. They could still _feel _her eyes on them. "But, that part of the deal will come in due time. You needn't carry that out now." Taking something from out of a slit in her dress, she turned back to them; a vile of wine red liquid in her hands.

"This..." Haceté began once again. "Is what we need to focus on right now. This vial will work against Prince Feliciano's favor and make him confess his and the late King's sin."

_Feliciano and the late king's sin? _Antonio thought to himself, trying to figure out what the witch was saying. "Sin? What have they done besides disown Lovino from their family?" He asked the woman. "I know they denied him his right to the crown, but–"

"Tell me." Haceté interrupted him, grin still in place. "The king before Luciano, Romulus. Do you know if he left anything behind? Something that will help you?"

"What? No..." Gilbert, who had remained silent until then shook his head. "They say Old Romulus didn't leave anything behind. He just left Luciano as the king."

Chuckling silently, Haceté held out the vial. "Such the gullible knights~ Do you believe everything you hear?"

The men frowned at their authority being challenged – well, the little authority they had. Haceté was making fools out of them!

"Passing away in the dark of night, with only Prince Feliciano and King Luciano as his company." The witch continued. "No one else to bear witness to his words, his will. King Romulus' last plea, the secret they kept. The secret you want to know, the secret this will reveal to you. Take this, make the prince drink it, and you will learn everything!"

Antonio shuddered, her words – or rather, spell – chilling him to the bone. He never did like the supernatural too much. This was why. He didn't even know that witches existed until tonight, and he suddenly wished he could have remained ignorant to them forever. But, this woman would could help them greatly. He wanted to Lovino to have the crown so badly. He wanted Lovino to be happy, and not be his own little brother's servant boy anymore. "And...you'll make Lovino king?" The question left his mouth before he even realized it.

"Hold on!" Gilbert turned to Antonio, the albino just as freaked out about this 'deal' as he was. "You're really considering this?"

"You're the one who thought witches were 'awesome' just a while ago, Gil." Antonio told his friend, starting to walk over to Haceté and her vial. "She's the only one who can help us now. It's her or no one."

Reaching out, Antonio's fingers almost touched the vial, but Gilbert's voice made him drop his hand.

"What about the dead body?"

Sensing Antonio's doubt, the witch let the slightest frown taint her face. "The price is harsh," She said. "But surely after Lovino hears that you've made him king, he'll love you."

The breath in Antonio's lungs stilled. Lovino, loving him?

"You're taking him from a simple servant, who's even under you, to a king. I couldn't imagine him being more grateful for all that you've done. He'd be so happy, wouldn't he?"

_He would..._Antonio smiled softly as the image of Lovino actually loving him came into his mind. Even though Lovino's happiness was enough, Antonio had always wanted the other boy to return his feelings of affection; although he was sure the Italian would die before he ever did that.

Without thinking, Antonio raised his hand once again, taking the vial from the witch and gazed at it with a hopeful expression. The Prussian behind him frowned, his friend had fallen into the witch's trap. If the Spaniard had been in his right mind, he would've noticed the evil grin grow on Haceté's face and the sky turn from dark purple to nearly black.

What had they agreed to?

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><p><strong>LuvReinya: <strong>Short chapter is short. I promise, the next chapter will be longer. I just wanted to get something out to clear away that weird last chapter XD Remember, reviews keep an author going! I get so motivated when I get reviews, so drop a line or two if you can ^^


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